Iraq’s Sunni blocs halt parliament activities after sheikh’s killing

Iraq’s two main parliamentary lists including Sunni lawmakers suspended their activities on Saturday in protest at the killing of a prominent Sunni tribal leader and the kidnapping of a Sunni member of parliament the night before. Sheikh Qassem al-Janabi and his son were shot dead along with at least six guards after gunmen stopped their convoy in south Baghdad. The sheikh’s nephew, parliamentarian Zayed al-Janabi, was detained but later released. The Interior Ministry said it would investigate the incident, which raised questions about the government’s control over security in the capital, where safety measures were eased last week despite the proliferation of rival armed groups.